Fire
by MakKwi
Summary: OC, A rouge gundam pilot with no name loses her memory, and only with the help of our GW boys can she get her life back.
1. Default Chapter

A/N: I'm just powering out fics aren't I! Well, just so ya'll know, I've already finished this. If you want the rest of it just ask and I'll post it. No writing time required.  
  
My name is Red, I think. I have no past, and no future where I am now. This is the story of my life, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  
  
Spacebarge- construction zone  
  
"Move it Red." Said the very large black man who called himself my boss.  
  
"I'm working! This is a gundam, It's not easy to build. Give me a break." I snapped. I was tired, and this was not the way I was planning to spend the evening. So sue me.  
  
"You're right, that's a gundam, and Mr. Reily is getting impatient."  
  
"Well fuck him, I'm a designer, I don't do hard labor." I added a vulgar sign to give it more effect.  
  
"Get used to it or get out." He said and left.  
  
"Bastard." I mumbled. I was the designer of the gundam I was currently being forced to build, and was doing the finishing touches, by myself. The workers acted like it was the zero system or something. It was actually really similar to that system but still... Anyway I was the only one that understood it. Well, one more day, then that baka pilot could take away my beautiful design and blow it up... I frowned and went back to work.  
  
After another hour of wiring, zapping my fingers, and sealing compartments, I went to sign off for the day. I saw Duo walk in.  
  
"Hey there Angel." He said brightly as he waved at me.  
  
"Hello Duo." I turned to look at my masterpiece, The Fireball. It was exactly what I'd want to pilot if I were a soldier.  
  
"That's quite the gundam." he said. I blushed, unable to hide my pride and appreciation for compliments from him. Just then Hilde walked in and draped her arms over Duo's shoulders. She kissed his cheek, just to piss me off, I could swear it.  
  
"Duo, I've been looking all over for you! Have you been in here the whole time?" she said, glancing up at me. Blue eyes met amber ones as she stared at me while rubbing his chest with her fore finger.  
  
"Yeah, sorry I gotta go home girls, why don't you give Red a ride home Hilde?" He said obliviously.  
  
"No really, that's okay." I said glaring at Hilde.  
  
***  
  
In the year that followed the completion of the Fireball, I grew more and more interested in the battle surrounding me. I stole the Gundam I had designed and built, and began to fight by myself. I fought on the same side as the gundams, but not with them. I had my own agenda. I was dubbed 'Hell's Angel', the oxymoron fitting because of the wings on my gundam and the death I brought with me. Also, I was pyrokinetic. Not that anyone really knew, but I brought way more fire than any Beam Cannon could to the battle field with me.  
  
Later on I ran into Zechs and Treize in my battles, and we had a very strange encounter. Zechs had decided he wanted me to fight with them, for the good of OZ, but I had declined, and told him the gundams and the path they followed were all I knew or cared about, and that even if I didn't fight with them I fought for them. He was furious, and from that moment on became my enemy. When he went insane and decided he would destroy the earth, I fought my first battle with the gundams. I had to stop him.  
  
Space  
  
I was in the middle of a large pile of debris I had created. Almost all the mobile dolls had been totally destroyed. I heard a voice on the com-link.  
  
"Main event, I reserved you VIP seating Princess." It was Zechs himself. The beam cannon on a near by battleship started powering up. Deathscythe and Zero sat in front of it, facing the other way. It fired. I went to full speed to push them out of the way, they couldn't be destroyed, they were too important. To me and the planet. We all got safely out of the way when another smaller beam hit me. I spun, and hit my head, hard. The force of the blow knocked me out, and the last thing I saw was the worried faces of Duo and Heero on the com-link.  
  
on solid ground  
  
"Heero, she alright?" Duo asked hurriedly as he entered the hospital room.  
  
"Yes." He nodded.  
  
"Good cuz I got news, this place is supposed to be clean off the map by now, it's an remnant OZ building controlled by white fang, we aren't welcome here bud." The body that was sitting next to me got up, and another sat down. "Wake up sleepin' beauty we gotta GO." It sounded soft, and kind, but who was it... I tried to remember what had just happened, I was drawing a complete blank, I couldn't remember anything... I couldn't remember how I got here, my name, or what I did for the past, how many years? How old am I? What's happening to me...? I opened my eyes. A boy was sitting there next to me.  
  
"Alright. Your awake, first of all, we won! It's over, all we worked for. thanx for shoving me out of the way, too... I had no clue..."  
  
"Slow down, what did I do? Where am I, WHO am I?"  
  
"Huh? You just saved my life, we won the war, your in a hospital controlled by white fang, and your name is Red... " He looked confused.  
  
"Wha...? White fang? What kind of name is RED?"  
  
"I guess you got hit harder than we thought..." My head started to hurt and I became aware of the gauze patch and bandage on my head. I saw a piece of hair fall across my eye, what strange color... It was blonde with all different kinds of red strands in it. I saw some red that didn't fit, it was blood... How did I get hit? I asked him that very question. He answered,  
  
"You got hit saving my life." He wasn't looking at me. Apparently that was all he was going to tell me right now. Another boy entered the room, he had short brown hair and blue eyes. He looked dark and expressionless... I looked into those eyes and saw, his heart, his emotions. I saw, deep down, a heart that trusts and loves, encased in solid stone. Why could I see these things? Could they? was this normal? The new boy spoke.  
  
"We've got to go. Can you walk?" There was no concern in his voice.  
  
"I think so... Why does it matter?" I don't know why I needed to go with them, what did I do?  
  
"You think we're just gonna leave you here?" Duo asked indignantly.  
  
"I don't see why you shouldn't..."  
  
"Because this place is gonna blow up that's why!"  
  
"Oh." I sat up to find the stinking doctors had me in one of those weird paper dress things. The boy threw an out fit down on the bed next to me. It must have been what I had been wearing earlier. Gee, I must be some kind of rebel teenager in /these/ outfits. I grabbed the clothes and looked at the boys, then the door. They got the message and let me change in peace. I had a hard time because I kept getting dizzy and things wouldn't come back into focus. After I had accomplished putting on my shirt and pants, they came back in and kept me steady while I put my shoes on. I guess they heard the thunk when I hit the floor trying the first time. I stood up, and took a few steps. I hope it's not a long walk... They led me down the hall and out of the building. Heero pressed the button on what appeared to be a detonator. He picked me up and started running, Duo followed. I felt his heart again. I tiny crack had formed in the stone. The building exploded, we were still too close. the explosion hit us, the fire rushing over us. I was sure we were dead, but we were still there, and we had what appeared to be a red and orange bubble around us. And it was one HOT bubble. It disappeared a few seconds later.  
  
"That was weird... I seem to remember that that wasn't supposed to happen..." I said, incredibly confused.  
  
"Tell me about it! What was it?" asked duo.  
  
"It was fire. But why did it do that?" asked Heero flatly. It was kinda, strange listening to Heero talk, so uncaring, so emotionless...  
  
"Well, let's go..." We started walking and eventually got to a car, whether it was theirs or not I'll never know. I sat in the front next to Heero. I felt Duo's heart now, why could I do this? His heart was deep down, but uncovered, it was real, and it was jealous. Of who? I dropped the thought as we sped off. A few minutes later we arrived at a large house. It looked almost freakishly big, not that I had much to compare it to. Duo helped me out of the car, and we went inside. Or, almost... The effort of keeping things upright and in focus on the trip seemed to be a little too much, because I blacked out a minute later, I didn't fall over or anything, I just, couldn't see anymore. My head hurt, bad. I ended up getting carried inside. I don't know why they were being so nice... I didn't seem to remember people being kind to me, out of what I did remember about the world. Once inside, I heard Duo's voice call to someone.  
  
"Hey Quatre! Look what we brought." I heard a chair screech, and felt someone come nearer. His presence felt somewhat lighter, happier than those of Heero and Duo.  
  
"Who is she?" asked the one that must be Quatre.  
  
"You don't know? she's been helping us in battle, and she's gonna stay with us for helpin' me out today."  
  
"Your letting her stay here just because she helped you?" Quatre pried.  
  
"I don't know why I am, I just, am." Duo replied. I kinda collapsed then, I was still awake, but I was, asleep, it was weird. I felt Heero put me down on something soft.  
  
"She's going to stay here, /you/ can go if you have a problem with that." He said with some strange emotion in his voice.  
  
"Fine, fine." I felt Quatre smile, and he bounced away. I heard the chair screech again, and I fell asleep.  
  
"Who is she?" Wufei asked, he was not happy with the girl sleeping on the couch.  
  
"Her name, well, I call her Angel, but everyone else calls her Red, cuz she doesn't really have a name. She's no threat, she saved my life."  
  
"I still want her out."  
  
"You want me, to throw a beautiful girl out on the street when she can't remember her own name?"  
  
"I don't see a problem with that." Wufei huffed.  
  
"Wufei, she's blind, be it long term or short, she can't remember anything, and she fell over trying to tie her own shoes. She's staying, get used to it and get off my back." Duo couldn't remember Wufei ever being so mean before.  
  
"I seemed to notice a girl sleeping on the couch." Trowa commented as he entered the kitchen Duo was sitting in.  
  
"She can't see, she can't keep her balance, she can't remember anything. she's staying, gotta problem too bad."  
  
"She's pretty, who is she?" Trowa asked, ignoring Duo's tone.  
  
"She's got no name, they call her Red, I call her Angel. She can't remember that though." Trowa seemed to sympathize. He accepted the fact she was staying and left Duo to sit and stare at the wall.  
  
I woke up, my eyes were shut but I knew it was morning. I gave a slight moan at the stiffness in my neck. Someone apparently heard because someone came over to the couch I had been sleeping on. I couldn't tell who it was. Who ever it was his presence was almost, disturbing. Mixed emotion of wanting me to leave and get hit by a car or something, and wanting me to stay, to be here forever. Both were slightly frightening.  
  
"Open your eyes." He said. I did so, I saw, gray and blue. And a little purple. That's it. I was completely blind.  
  
"What's the use? Can't see anything anyway." I replied.  
  
"I needed to check the color."  
  
"Make sure I'm not bluffing right, make sure I'm completely blind and not just lying to get attention from you people." I scoffed.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Your so kind."  
  
"What are you doing to the girl now?" It was another unknown voice. He didn't feel so scary, he was more, comforting.  
  
"Nothing" was his answer, he got up and left.  
  
"That was Wufei, and I'm Trowa. Glad to see you awake." He left it at that. I felt yet another boy come into the room. I was pretty sure it was Quatre.  
  
"Would you like some food?" He didn't seem to care that I was invading his home. He actually seemed to enjoy having me there. I nodded in response, I hadn't had lunch or dinner yesterday, and there was a snowball's chance in Hell that I was gonna miss breakfast. The only problem was getting to the table... I sat up and stood, kind of bent over feeling around so I wouldn't bump into anything. Quatre thankfully took my hand and led me after I reached him. We entered the kitchen, I think, and I heard yet another chair screech.  
  
"Hey! You're up! Can ya see anything yet?" I looked down and frowned, this sucks.  
  
"No." I replied, Duo sounded so hopeful.  
  
"Oh, well, don't worry." Duo said. I could tell he wasn't feeling very cheerful now. I wanted to see him, so he couldn't hide from me anymore. Quatre sat me down next to him, and proceeded in making breakfast for everybody. I heard two more people sit down, Wufei and Trowa, unless I was mistaken. A third person sat down. I was sure that was Heero. That crack in stone was impossible to miss.  
  
"Try these on." Heero said as he placed a pair of glasses in my hands. "If they don't help..." He trailed off. I placed the glasses on my face, realized they were upside down, and put them back on right side up.  
  
"I, can see outlines now... No color, no features besides outline..." I said, that hadn't been very encouraging.  
  
"'Least you can see somethin'" said Duo, cheering up a little more.  
  
"Yes, I know your there, but I don't see what use It is. If a complete stranger walked up to me I could mistake him for any of you."  
  
"Well, they look nice." He said, he wouldn't give up. Quatre put plates in front of us and everyone started to eat, but me.  
  
"What is it?" It felt like he was a little offended, then I guess he remembered all I could see was the table and faintly the plate.  
  
"It's an omelet, here." He put the fork in my hand and sat down himself. I put the fork on the plate, and found the omelet. I cut myself a piece with the fork, and successfully brought it to my mouth. It was rather good, I wished I knew what it looked like... I closed my eyes after a while, straining to see was hurting my eyes, and it didn't really help anyway.  
  
//Duo's POV//  
  
She's pretty when she closes her eyes like that. Hell, she's pretty when she doesn't! If only she could see, and remember... I want to thank her, but I can't. This is a chance for her to start over, I'm not going to take it away. We'll find a way to get her sight back, and then, I'll get things back the way they were, only better this time. Some things even I can't change but... I'll try...  
  
After I was sure I had cleaned off the plate, I carefully got up, and picked up the plate and fork. Holding them securely in one hand, I searched for the sink, determined to find it myself. I placed the dishes in the sink successfully, and turned back around.  
  
"Well, now what?" I didn't have anything to do, and boredom wasn't a choice.  
  
"Um..."Quatre was clueless.  
  
"Uh..."so was Duo.  
  
"Why don't you fix her hair Duo." Wufei's remark was meant to be snide, but the result was rather different from what he intended. "I will if she'll let me." he replied, happy to create another braided one.  
  
"Would you? It probably looks horrible right now..." I asked, feeling the mass that adorned my head.  
  
"Sure." He ran away and came back with a brush and tie. he sat me down and went to work. From the amount of time it took to brush it out, I suspected there was a lot of it to brush. He braided it with expert hands, and tied the end. "There, looks pretty good if you ask me." I smiled, he tried to be so happy all the time. The door bell rang and the door banged opened, a person walked in with happy carelessness in her heart. That happiness faded in less than two seconds flat.  
  
"Duo, what is SHE doing here!?" It was a girl. Duo's girlfriend?  
  
"Ah! Hilde, she's just staying here for a while, she hit'er head and, I was just helping her do'er hair..."  
  
"WHY IS SHE HERE." she asked again.  
  
"Speak a little louder will ya?" I asked. "What I'm doing here is a damn good question, and I'd suggest you don't jump to conclusions so quickly, you might miss the mark and jump off a cliff or something..."  
  
"Well, here's a suggestion for YOU, stay away from MY duo, and a sharp tongue like that'll give you a new name REAL fast Red dear, Bitch is the first one that comes to my mind." I knew I had met this girl before, she had always been the barrier between me and happiness. I walked out of the room and bumped into Heero. Another crack showed up. I quickly apologized and walked around him, straining to see so I wouldn't bump into something else and make a fool of myself. This wasn't fair, I want to be like them, to know what's going on, I want to be able to protect someone that's, all mine... Like Hilde... Did I ever have someone?  
  
"Why are you letting that creature stay here?!" Hilde demanded.  
  
"Why not?" answered Heero in that strange flat voice of his.  
  
"Wha-uh-just, BECAUSE, she's rude, and she's spending too much time around my Duo! AND am I mistaken in saying she's played you the same way?" Heero gave her a cold look. "Why, I should ask Miss Relena what she thinks of this, I don't think she'll be so easy to forgive the girl..." she said, her eyes gleaming. Heero's gaze got darker. *crack* The stone casing on his heart had three cracks in it, each coming from the very center.  
  
I kept walking, losing vision rapidly I turned into a room and stopped. My head hurt, a lot...  
  
"Are you all right?" It was Quatre.  
  
"I, I'm gonna fall over if I don't sit down first..."  
  
"Here, sit." he pulled up a chair.  
  
"Thank you." I said sitting down and tilting my head back. "Quatre?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why are you people doing this for me?"  
  
"I-well-because..."  
  
"Well?" I asked, I had to know what was so special about me that they would take care of me like this.  
  
"I-really don't know. I have guesses, but that's all."  
  
"What might those guesses be?"  
  
"Well, I might be wrong..."  
  
"Just tell me." I had to know.  
  
"I think, that Duo and Heero have grown somewhat attached to you. You probably don't know this, being that you can't see me let alone yourself, but your very pretty, and I wouldn't be surprised if they had grown so fond of you. They knew you before this happened, and you protected them when you yourself were in danger. I'm glad they brought you here, you're what reminds us of what we're fighting to protect, even though you're in a bad position you can still go on. You still have the chance to live." I looked up, I could faintly make out his outline. I'd have to remember it. I'd have to remember that I can trust him.  
  
"Quatre..." Deep down I knew, I would never see a sunset again, I'd never read, I'd never watch another movie. All I could do was try to help with what I could, and be a nuisance when I couldn't do it. I could hope though, and I would. I wouldn't let this life claim and devour me. I let my expression fall and slumped in my chair.  
  
"It happened to you because it had to. Your old life was leading you toward destruction, this is your second chance, use it to your advantage." I nodded. Just then someone else walked in, Hilde. Her presence was so shameless it hurt.  
  
"You need to leave." She said simply.  
  
"Fine. I don't happen to live anywhere do I?" It seemed she hadn't expected that reaction.  
  
"You don't have to go anywhere." It was Duo.  
  
"She want's me to leave fine, where do I live?"  
  
"I'll take you then." Said Quatre. "But you really don't have to go."  
  
"I'm coming too, if you really are leaving. It'll be nice to see Kari anyway." said Duo.  
  
"Kari?" I asked.  
  
"Later, let's go." Hilde had a triumphant air around her as we walked out the door.  
  
A/N: Hope you all liked it! Please review!!! 


	2. Chapter 2

"So now who is this Kari?" I asked. Duo had an uneasy air around him. "She's..." I could feel him silently ask Quatre if he should go on. Quatre nodded. "She's your daughter." He said. "I have a daughter? How old am I?" "19..." he said. "What?! How did That happen?" "I don't know! I don't just go around asking people these things!" "I'm sorry.. Of course you wouldn't know. How, how old is she?" I asked kind of hesitantly. "Three." "Is anybody there with her? Or would there be?" "The father's there, he tends to be." He sounded kinda spiteful at that. "I'm not, married to him or anything, am I?" "No, but that's not saying he hasn't tried." "Oh." "We're here." They helped me out of the car and up the steps of what I guessed was an apartment building. "You better do the talking," said Quatre, "he might, hurt us or something..." "I don't know him at all anymore, Duo, you do it." I said defensively. "Fine." He knocked on the door. It creaked open. "Duo!" It was a very small girls voice. Duo bent over a picked the girl up. "Hey, I brought you a present." he turned so she could see me. "Momma!" she giggled happily as he handed the toddler to me. I held the little girl as she hugged me, and gave a "Well, what do I do now?" look to no one in particular. Another figure appeared at the door. "Red! Your back!" It was a man. I made a questioning look, was this him? "That's him." Duo said, reading my mind. "Oh." "Huh?" The man was getting rather confused. "She hit her head and she doesn't remember you man, now, you gonna let us in or what?" He stood aside and we walked in. "You don't remember me?" he asked. "Um... no." I replied, playing with my toddler. She was pretty cute, not visually, I mean, maybe she was but she had a cute personality. I felt his jaw drop. "But- you remember her!" he said, meaning Kari. "Not really, no." "But, you're playing with her like you know who she is!" "Uh huh. cute isn't she?" "yeah but-" "But what?" "Hmm... Well, I suppose you'll wanna go find our room." "OUR room? I don't recall you telling me anything about THAT Duo." "Damnit Your here." The man seemed totally put out by Duo's presence. "Yes, I am, and I didn't tell her that, cuz it ain't true. I know, I ruin everything..." "Yes, you do." he said frowning. I felt Duo smile rather happily. "Excuse me for intruding, but I'm gonna go, nice meeting you Mr... What's your name?" Quatre intervened quietly. "Zach." "Whatever, see ya Q-man." said Duo. "Ya know, you can leave whenever you want Zach, I'm sure K-chan won't mind, and Red doesn't even remember you so..." "I take it you two don't get along very well... see ya Quatre!" I added. "I think you've got something there Red." Zach replied with a 'well duh' atitude. "I believe she does." said Duo. The door bell rang. I answered it, still holding Kari. "Yes?" I could make out a figure that was shorter than me, with an emotion of covet and desire in her heart. "AHH!" screamed Duo sarcastically. "Don't let it in!" "Why not?" I asked. "Don't listen to him he's insane." said the person at the door. "Hello Red." "Uh... who are you?" "Surely you remember me? I am Relena, I came to get that child you've got there, I don't believe a blind girl such as yourself is fit to take care of such a small child." "You can't have'er Relena." Duo called from inside the room. "I don't believe your in the position to say that Mr. Maxwell. Thank you, I'll be taking that now." Relena reached for Kari "You can't have her." I said. I was already very attached to the toddler, and I wasn't about to let anybody take her away. "I'm sorry but you are not fit to take care of her yourself." "Who ever said she was gonna do that?" said Zach, hey, at least he's good for something. Relena tried to pry Kari away. This woman was crazy, and an idiot. I simply turned, and shut the door in her face. "Has she done that before?" I asked. "Yup. She want's that kid so she can pretend she's Heero's so he'll flip." "Me no like mean lady." Said Kari clinging to me. "Hey Kari, it's getting late, why don't we go get you ready for bed?" asked Duo. Giggling she said, "Ya!" I put her down and let her run to Duo. She seemed to like him a lot. I smiled and followed them straining yet again to make sure no walls decided to run up and hit me. I could remember this place, I almost didn't have to look where I was going. My heart remembered even if my head didn't. I followed them into a happy feeling room that I presumed was Kari's.  
  
"So, what PJ's do you wanna wear tonight?" "hmm..." she said rummaging through a drawer. "Tee hee, I wanna wear sailor moon!" I laughed imagining sailor moon pajamas. "Okay then you put those on and I, will wait for you outside." "Kay." said the happy little girl. "Mommy, will you umbutton me?" she asked. "I'll try..." I found her shoulders, then the buttons, undoing one then finding the next. I pulled the dress off for her and she put on her sailor moon nightgown. "Kari, tell me, who do you like better, Duo or Zach?" "Duo!" she said as if the thought of Zach scared her. "Duo's much more nicer than Poop-Head." I laughed. "Who's nicer to me? Which one would take better care of us both?" "Um... Poopoo-Head is always buying you present's, but he makes you cry, I don't like it when he makes you cry." she said. "Duo calls you angel, and he's funny, but he makes you mad." "Why does he do that?" "You said it's cuz You wan' him so much but he's always just out of 'ur reach." "Really. Well, you go say goodnight, and he'll tuck you in." "Kay." she said cheering up again. I followed her out and back into the living room, the darker it got, the harder it was to see. It got darker and blurrier, until it hurt to keep my eyes open. My head started to ring, I rubbed it and relaxed, and the pain got worse, I tensed up, and the pain got worse. It grew until I wanted to scream just to hear something besides the painful ringing in my head. I fell to my knees and tried everything I could to make it stop. Then the nightmares started. I saw Zach hit me, I saw him yelling at Kari. I saw him make me bleed. I was crying, I was crying those tears of complete helplessness and pain that few people ever experience. was this what Kari meant by making me cry? I saw explosions and destruction, I saw Hilde kissing Duo, and saw him enjoying every second. I saw Heero and Relena, Relena had Kari, she was cradling her like she was her own child, and Heero with his arms around Relena as if congratulating her. I saw Trowa leave me half dead in the dark, and I saw Wufei with a hungry look in his eyes staring at me, battered and bruised on a hard cold floor. I saw Quatre holding Kari, standing in the middle of more explosions, I saw them get hit... "NO!!!" I finally screamed. "make it stop, please! make it, make it go away!" I said sobbing. I felt soft hands, and strong arms hold me, protect me. Heero, Quatre, and Duo held me. Their hearts reached out, each saying: turn to me, I can make it all go away. "Just make it go away... please..." I saw Relena walk in the door of an apartment, my apartment, with nothing good to do. "Shhh... It's alright, it'll all go away..." said Quatre soothingly. "He's right, It'll all leave, you need some sleep, here, let's go." He helped me up and Heero carried me to my bedroom. "Even if the nightmares leave, they're still real, and they won't go away." I sobbed. "Then we'll have to make them, tell us what happened." "No, It, it won't do any good." "fine, we'll come check on you in the morning." "no, please, don't leave me here alone... I need you!" I said, my head aching. "I'll stay." said Heero. "If you don't want us to go then we won't," said Quatre. "what's wrong with mommy?" Kari worried. "She alright, come on, let's get you back to bed." said Quatre. "I'm not 'sposed to go with strangers." she said. "Come on Kari, I'll take you." said Duo. "I wanna know what's wrong with Mommy first." He girl glared. "She passed out." said Heero slightly surprised. "Mommy?" asked Kari. No answer. "Mommy?" she asked louder. "Is she breathing?" asked Duo. "Yes, but it's uneven..." He didn't sound happy to hear this. Duo held a frightened Kari, looking rather frightened himself.  
  
"Why wasn't she brought sooner?" asked the doctor "she was fine, then she just, broke down." Quatre explained. "Will somebody please shut that kid up!?" asked the doctor annoyed. Duo glared as he held a sobbing, frightened Kari. He held her closer, trying to comfort the toddler. The doctor went back to me. I was going to have to go through surgery. My head had been hit much, much harder than we thought. I was scared, I was surrounded by lethal objects that I couldn't see, I was going to be operated on, and the nightmares still hadn't gone away. How could they when the people that cause them are standing right outside? I heard a comforting voice say, "It'll all be ok, just relax angel, it'll all go away, promise." "I hope so Duo... "  
  
"she's alright now, the pressure in her skull's gone down, and her headaches should go away soon." said the doctor, still annoyed with the small child asleep on Quatre's lap, Duo was finally free to stand up and stretch. "How's her sight?" asked Heero. "She's legally blind. There's nothing we can do, those glasses are only straining her yes, throw them away." he said uncaringly as he pulled off his rubber gloves. "Hn." said Heero glaring at the doctor. "Can we go see her yet?" asked Duo oblivious to the previous conversation. "Fine, whatever." They walked into the brightly lit room where I was lying, afraid that moving would set off more spasms and headaches. "How're you feeling?" asked Quatre. "Like someone put a block of cement on my head and decided to leave it there." he laughed softly. "Mommy...!" said an unhappy and almost sobbing Kari. "Hey Kari, what're you doing still up?" I didn't want to sound like I was in pain, she was already so sad... "I don't like it here mommy... The strangers keep asking me thin's that I don' wanna answer, I wanna go home." "so do I baby, so do I..." It just felt so normal talking to her like that, she was my daughter, I remembered that now. I remembered playing with her, and tucking her in to bed at night. I wanted to see her face, to see her smile at me and laugh. I wanted to see her so much... "Kari, come here, we need to talk a little." Duo told her. I felt them leave the room. "what is it Duo?" she asked. "We need to talk about your mommy." he said 'mommy' very hesitantly. He didn't like to think about how that had happened, he wanted to forget it ever happened. "What's wrong with her Duo? She looks at me like she can't tell whether I'm ther or somewhere else." "K-chan, she can't tell whether your there. She can't see Kari, she can't see anything. That's why we're gonna have to help her. make sure she doesn't mistake one thing for another." "Hm." she said meaning yes. "Duo," she asked. "yes?" "tonight, before all this happened, mommy asked me who would take better care of us, you or Zach, and I told her that Zach is always buying her presents, but he makes her cry, and I told her that you call her angel, and you're nice and funny, but you make her mad. She said you make her mad because you're always just out of her reach, what does she mean?" "She means that, that I love Hilde, and that means she can't have me. It was like that before she lost her sight, I don't know if she even cares anymore." "But now /you/ do, and you can't have her because of Hilde." it was Quatre. "Well, know this, you aren't only competing against Zach." "What do you mean?" asked Duo suspiciously. "I mean, that Heero wants her too. You probably don't know this, but not a single emotion gets by her. She can sense your jealousy because you want Kari to be your daughter, not his, and she can tell you want her. Those are her nightmares, you and Hilde, Heero Relena and Kari, and Zach beating her. The nightmares don't go away because they're real." Duo picked up Kari. "Then I'll have to change what's real and what's not."  
  
"You're sure you're alright?" asked Heero. "I'm fine, believe me." I answered. I wonder what Duo and Quatre were talking about... "How long do I have to stay here?" "As long as you want to." "Then let's GO." "Fine then." Heero picked me up and placed me on a wheelchair. He pushed it out the door and stopped to tell Quatre and Duo that we were going, Kari hoped on my lap and hugged me, very glad to be going home. "I wonder why they think I need a wheelchair." "I'd'no, but they are lotsa fun!" said Kari giggling, such an optimist, I know she's unhappy, but she's so good at trying to be happy instead. And she's so smart! "Angel, I'm gonna go home, make Heero stay with you if you don't want to be alone, I'll see you tomorrow." "Alright, goodbye Duo." "Buhbye!" said Kari. After a kinda long drive we reached my apartment. I successfully got out of the car myself, but Heero had to help Kari out, she was too little to get out herself. She was a little hesitant, but Heero got her to come out, and carried her to the stairs. "You gonna try to go up yourself?" "Uh huh." "alright, I'll walk behind you incase you fall." "Thanks." I lifted my foot and found the stair, then I put my other foot on the second step, and slowly but surely I made my way up the staircase. we reached the top and Heero taught me to feel each doorway I passed and remember how many there are until my door. We walked in, Zach was waiting. Heero took Kari to her room and put her in bed. I stood at the doorway. Zach wasn't happy, at all. "Remember, you belong to me." he said. "I don't belong to anyone." "You're mine, you better remember that." "I don't belong to anyone, and I never will." "You bitch, you are MY girl and you sure as hell better remember that." he said, slapping me across the face. "I am me, you can't have me and neither can anyone else. There's a difference between belonging to and loving some one. I don't qualify for either, and as far as I know I never have and never will love you." He hit me, I mean he really hit me. Heero walked in to see me standing with a bloody cheek. Zach's ring had made a nice cut. Heero walked up to Zach, calmly, and punched him. He dragged him out the door and locked it, then he went to the bathroom, and came back with some antiseptic and a cotton rolled thingy. He cleaned off the cut, which had stopped bleeding, and brought me to my bedroom. He found me an overlarge tee-shirt and handed it to me, then he walked out of the room to let me change. He came back in when I was done, and put my old clothes in the hamper. He walked me to Kari's room. "She said she wanted you to tuck her in." he said. he felt kind of, sad was the best word. I went into Kari's room, and Heero stayed at the doorway. "Mommy, I love you." "I love you too baby, now try and get some sleep. "Alright." "Good girl." I kissed her forehead. I walked back out to Heero, and I cried. It was all so happy, and sad, and scary, and wonderful. He was slightly surprised at my tears, and he didn't know how to deal with them. Then he remembered Duo, and how he used to hold me when I cried, even if I didn't. He attempted to hold me like he did. A hole formed in the stone covering his heart. He held me, and let me cry. He looked up, he wouldn't let anyone make me sad like this anymore. When I was done, he carried me to my room. he laid me down on my own bed and pulled the covers up to my chin. I was sleeping like a log within minutes. He bent over my sleeping form hesitantly, closed his eyes and kissed me goodnight. He walked out of the room, unaware that small eyes were watching, and small hands wouldn't let anybody but people who were kind to them touch her mommy again. The race was on, Heero, and Duo tied for first, and Zach running far behind, if anyone else wanted to join, they better do it now. Tired eyes closed, and Kari went back to bed.  
  
"Quatre?" "Yeah Duo?" "This sucks." "what does?" "Think." "oh. I seem to remember someone having quite the time at Hilde's last night though." "I know! That makes it all the worse, I can't figure out whether to let Heero have red and just stay with Hilde, or get rid of Hilde and fight for red." "Quite the predicament." "Stop it." "Stop what?" "Nevermind." Duo walked out of the room and decided to go check on Heero and me. He arrived at my apartment to see Zach sitting on the front step shivering. At the sight of Duo, he got up in rage and tried to punch him. Duo dodged it and quickly ran inside, leaning against the door. "Hn?" Heero looked up to see Duo standing at the door, looking at it sideways. "Yeah... I wouldn't open that if I were you." "Whatever." "Wha? Did- did you just say, a whole WORD?" "Yes. Now what do you want?" "Uh.. Just visiting and all, where is she?" "Still sleeping." "And Kari?" "Coloring in her room." "ALONE?" "Yes..." Duo ran to her room to see a most wondrous picture on the wall. "Ugh... I shoulda warned you." // "What the- DUO!" "I didn't do it!" "then explain the new wallpaper." "Heh... likes to color on the walls does she?" "Uh huh, now, fix it." "Yes ma'am."// The memory of Duo's beginning stages of babysitting were still fresh. "Oh man, It's a good thing she can't see this..." "Yeah..." "Well, we better clean it off..." "Uh huh."  
  
A/N: I'm boooorrrreeeddd.. I need to start just going to sleep. 


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